Tangled
by Cosmic Latte Tangerine
Summary: If LOTR were a High School" fic. Eowyn and Boromir share the same problem: Faramir. High School is tough, but Faramir is headed down a dark road. How far will he fall and will he drag them down with him? CHAPTER 5 and 6 NOW UP!
1. Happy Beginnings

Disclaimer: I dont own any of the characters from LOTR (though i wish i did, hehe). I might create some new characters later on, and Arda High belongs to me, unless of course someone else by weird chance used it too. if so, i'm really sorry! i didn't know! but everything else? its all him *points to the brilliant professor tolkien*.  
  
Alright, so, uh, ya. now i actually need a plot. *crosses fingers* on with the show!  
  
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The halls of Arda High were empty and soundless, save for the seemingly loud ticking of the clock. TICK, TICK, TICK, CLAAAAANG. The bell rang and immediately students came running out of doors from all directions, looking like dogs that have been cooped up in a cage too long.  
  
"Ugh, Trig is always the worst of them all," said Boromir, as he opened his locker in exaspiration and shoved his books inside.  
  
"Trig? Man, I have Language Arts last period. Celeborn ALWAYS assigns extra homework on the weekends," replied his best friend Aragorn, as he struggled to open his own locker. The two friends then headed down the hall, towards the two large front doors that freed them from this hell people called 'school'. "Hey there handsome," said a voice from behind them.  
  
They both spun around. "Hey yourself," said Aragorn smiling at Arwen as he put his arm around her waist and continued down the hall. Boromir rolled his eyes. "Does she ALWAYS have to hang on his arm like that?" he thought to himself as he caught up with them. The two of them had immersed themself in some discussion about how stupid P.E. was today, and Boromir didn't really feel like joining them. Luckily, he saw his little brother and his girlfriend headed the other way.  
  
"Hey Faramir!" he called to him. "What?" he replied nonchalantly. "Oh, hey Aragorn, Arwen." Aragorn gave a brief wave and Eowyn and Arwen exchanged glances, and then they continued their conversation, smiling seductively at each other every now and then. Boromir shrugged and continuted with his brother. "Dad wants you to stop by his work on the way home. Something about wanting to see your History test score before you do anything."  
  
"Damnit. He's been on my case all the time lately," Faramir said, very frustrated. "Me and Eowyn were gonna go to the movies tonight. Shit."  
  
"Well, How'd ya do? I mean, if you passed..." Boromir said, trying to sound comforting. "Ya right! Man, you KNOW dad accepts nothing but A's. I got a freakin C." Faramir gave Boromir a somewhat threatening look, and then turned to Eowyn. "Sorry," he said forcing a smile, "We can't do anything tonight, or probably the next DECADE cause my dad's a freakin perfectionist." Faramir looked really really upset. "Well you don't know yet! Maybe your dad will still let you go." Eowyn looked worried and turned to Boromir with a "Could you give me a little help here?" kinda look.  
  
"Eowyn's right. Just calm down, you know dad just wants what's best," was all the Boromir could muster. Faramir only gave him something between apologetic sigh and a frustrated shrug. "I know i know, but still. Its not fair," he said seemingly calming down. "Hey, I'll catcha later," he said to Eowyn, putting his hand softly on her face. "Dont wanna be late for daddy!" he said rather over-sarcastically and he bolted down the hall.  
  
"God, I dont know how much longer I'm gonna be able to deal with this." Eowyn said, with a ring of annoyance in her voice. "I mean, I love him to death, but i'm sick of his wining." Boromir snorted. "Try living with him....." he replied and they both laughed for a second. Then Boromir noticed something.  
  
"Where's Aragorn?" he said rather confused. "Do you even need to ASK that question any more?" Eowyn replied, giggling. Then she pointed to the door of a classroom near by. There were shadows on the window and giggling coming from inside the room. "Ahem, I think he's busy with Arwen." She giggled again. "Oh god, I wish they'd at least wait till they leave school." Boromir said rather annoyed.  
  
"What, falling for an elf are we?" said a rather accusing voice from Boromir's side. Legolas jokingly punched Boromir in the arm. Boromir looked panicky, but and tried to hide it very poorly. "Oh shut your hole. She's my best friend's girl." He started walking down the hall.  
  
"Riiiight..." Legolas said skeptically, and then ran up in front of him. "So you guys doing anything later? I'm so bored. Gimli's still grounded for that whole fight thing."  
  
"Fight?" said Eowyn catching up. "What fight?"  
  
Boromir laughed. "Gimli got in some elf's face the other day 'cause they called him short. Supposedly he was very 'intimidating'". Eowyn giggled. "Yup, that's Gimli alright."  
  
"So, I take it you guys aren't doing anything?" repeated Legolas.  
  
"Well, Aragorn has a date with Arwen tonight, so I'm not doing anything with him. I dont think I have anything else planned. Eowyn....?"  
  
"Well I was going to go to the movies with Faramir.....but I have a feeling that wont be happening." she replied, looking somewhat down. Legolas looked confused and Boromir waved him off in an "I'll tell you later" kind of way.  
  
"Cool......" Legolas said, trying not to look TOO overjoyed. "We should meet up then. What movie was showing?"  
  
And the conversation continued with them talking about movies and homework and Gimli's little incident, and ended with them meeting at the local burger joint and then heading to see a movie. The guys made Eowyn PROMISE to bring Eomer, if he would come.  
  
They didn't know, though, that tonight would be the first of many long, dark nights. 


	2. A Father's Words

AN: Yes, i finally updated my *one* fic. Im being attacked by the plotbunnies so this will probably be updated a lot more, now that i have a general plot in my head. Thanks for all of you who actually take time to read my junk! ;)  
  
oh, and i know its a short chapter. forgive me, its a bad habbit.  
  
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Boromir burst the door open and let his backpack slide off his shoulder to the ground with a loud CLUNK. "Home Sweet Home," he said to himself with a hint of sarcasm as he slumped down onto the couch to watch some boring television show. He wasted away the afternoon this way---it was the way he usually did. And the way he liked it.  
  
It was only when the room started to get dark that he really noticed what time it was. "Wonder where Faramir is..." he thought absent-mindedly as he checked his watch. He decided that he had better get ready to meet up with the others, the movie started in less than an hour. He had only gotten up, however, when the front door opened abruptly.  
  
Denethor swept by in a feud of rage. He trudged through the living room and out into the kitchen without even registering Boromir was there. Boromir had seen him come home like this many times before, in fact almost every day recently. Now he saw it as a warning to proceed with caution and chose his words carefully.  
  
"Hey...Dad..." was all he managed to say, following his father into the kitchen. Perfect choice of words, he thought.  
  
"Where is your brother?" Denethor snapped quickly in an annoyed tone. He set his work-bags down and made himself a cup of coffee. Boromir tried to think of better words.  
  
"I said 'Where is your brother?' !" he repeated, as he sat down at the table. "Did he run off again? With that grungy girlfriend of his?!" Boromir perked up at this. He didn't like his father calling Eowyn 'grungy'.   
  
But Denothor continued before Boromir could think this over for more than half a second. "I'm sick of him thinking he can run the place!!! Talking back at me, gallavanting around doing whatever he wants!" he lectured to his coffee cup.  
  
Boromir restrained his annoyance and chose to ignore the last 4 sentences. "Actually, i thought he was with you. He told me he was going by your work after school to get your permission---"  
  
"MY PERMISSION?!" Denethor yelled as he threw his coffee cup at the wall. It broke into severel pieces with a crash and Boromir was startled at this random act of violence. Denethor didn't even seem to notice he had just broken his favorite cup. "What does Faramir care about my permission?!" His tone was nasty and his temper boiling, but Boromir was used to this and knew better than to back away.  
  
"Stop it Dad! Get some hold on yourself. This is madness." Boromir managed to say as he picked up the broken pieces of the once-coffee-cup. "What the hell is wrong?"  
  
Denethor buried his face in his hands and let out a huge sigh. "Nothing, you've done nothing," he sayed in a very different tone than before---more relaxed. "Listen, its Friday night. I'm sure you have much better things to do than listen to an old man bicker with himself. Go on, Go."  
  
Boromir took his cue to leave and grabbed his jacket and keys. But before he left, he turned around in the doorway and said softly "He does try to please you, Dad."  
  
Denethor only responded with a louder and firmer "GO."  
  
Boromir obeyed. 


	3. Silence

AN: Still on a writing streak! this must be a record. This one is fairly longer than the last, i call that improvement. :D and i say again, if you're bothering to read this, i love you. ;)  
  
and please review!  
  
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"That movie kicked ass, man," said Eomer matter-of-factly as they were walking out of the theater.   
  
"Yeah, it rocked," Legolas agreed. Eowyn stopped in her tracks. "How could YOU tell Legolas? You were on your cell phone nearly the whole time!"  
  
Boromir consented. "Really man. How many girlfriends do you HAVE?" he half-said, half-laughed.  
  
"I'd have to say at least...10. By the amount of times that stupid ringtone went off," said Eomer, joining in. Eowyn and Boromir laughed harder. "But thats only the GIRLfriends." Eomer winked, and Legolas threw the empty popcorn bag at him.  
  
"Funny, funny. Have your laughs," Legolas said grinning, "But its not my fault if the ladies love me." He added a melodramatic sigh on the end just to top it off.  
  
"Excuse me, not all ladies have such horrible taste," Eowyn argued, still laughing. Legolas gave her a look that clearly said "Oh, really?" but he didn't voice it outloud. Instead he grabbed her and trapped her in a hug. "Oh, you know you love me," he said, releasing her. She laughed, and responded, "Oh, yes, madly in love. I thought it was obvious? Come off it." He pushed her and she pushed him back, and they both laughed.  
  
Boromir and Eomer were clearly entertained. Eowyn and Legolas had been best friends since before anyone could remember, and this type of teasing happened often among them. It was rumoured that Legolas fancied her, but if he did, he had never really let it known. As far as either of them were concerned, their relationship was completley platonic. As far as the rest of the world, however, they were the perfect subject for gossip. As you can imagine, this didn't make Faramir too pleased.  
  
They had all taken Boromir's car over to the cinemas, and they were nearly back in the car when suddenly Legolas's cell rang again. "Oh, Come on!" Eowyn said getting slightly annoyed. "This is getting pathetic!"  
  
Legolas answered it quickly. The others leaned frustratedly on the car and tried to guess what 'mystery girl' was calling this time. "Come on, Legolas. Tell her you'll call her back!" Eomer protested.  
  
It is said that nothing can silence a crowd quicker than silence.  
  
Whoever says that is right.  
  
Legolas' voice was no longer enthusiastic and dripping with sarcasm. It was hushed, and quiet. He spoke quickly, and paced in the parking lot. The others exchanged confused looks. Eowyn was uneased.   
  
They impatiently waited for the call to end, which ended quickly. Legolas turned to Eomer and Eowyn. "What's up?" Eomer asked confused. "That was...that was Uncle Elrond calling from the hospital." The others' expressions went quickly from confusion to worry. "Theoden's had a heart attack."  
  
Eowyn froze. The world was revolving around her but she stood perfectly still. The figures standing before her ceased to be, and in their place were foggy blurs that resembled people. She could hear nothing but the resounding of those words in her head. She felt like she had never felt so cold in her life, yet she barely noticed it. It seemed like she was having as hard a time taking in oxygen as she was taking in what Legolas had just said. As if time had stopped.   
  
"He's..." Eowyn choked. "He's going to be...a-alright isn't he?" She said it as though she didn't want to hear the answer. Eomer walked over to her and held her.  
  
It is said that nothing can silence a person quicker than silence.  
  
Legolas was silent.  
  
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Two weeks had passed since the funeral, but to Eowyn time had not started again. Her soul was still lost in that cold, windy, tear-stained parking lot, and her mind hadn't left that spot. She had lost her uncle, and the closest thing she had ever had to a father. It drove her mad to think that she would never see him again, that he had been dying while she had been having fun with her friends. She rarely slept anymore, it was just too much a risk to dream about Theoden.  
  
It was Eomer who noticed, however, that they had lost more than just a father, they had lost an income.  
  
It was soon evident that Eomer, who had graduated 2 years previously, was now the soul-provider for the "family". He worked day and night, just to keep Eowyn in school and to feed them both---he refused to let her drop out. They had no other family members to help them, and friends could only do so much. They couldn't live on Life insurance forever. No, this is the way things had to be. It would just take some getting used to. But Eowyn never got used to it.  
  
At school, Boromir couldn't help but notice how severely her uncle's death was effecting her. Her beautiful face had lost its glow, and now it was replaced with this unmistakeable dispair. She was always drained, and always tired. Her schoolwork was never finished on time, and she never let her hair down anymore. Instead of bright, flowery colors, she was always wearing dark clothes and twice-worn shirts. It was as if nothing mattered anymore.  
  
Though he never noticed it, the only time Eowyn felt remotely happy was when she was with Boromir. She had always been able to talk to him about stuff, but now it seemed like he was the only one who understood. Boromir had lost his mother, sure, that helped. But it was mainly the fact that he listened to her and talked to her like a normal person. Everyone else just wanted to comfort her and give her words of 'wisdom'. Faramir was always asking her if she was "alright". Eomer was never around. Legolas simply said nothing, because he knew her well enough to know that anything he said would sound like rubbish to her. One time, Arwen tried to give Eowyn a "comforting" hug out-of-the-blue. Eowyn knew she was being nice, but found it hard to restrain the urge to throw her against the wall and tell her to leave her the hell alone. It was like a neverending "one of those days".   
  
School continued for everyone else, like normal. Gimli got off suspension, only to get suspended again a week later for trying to get in a fight with the same elf as before. Everyone found this highly amusing.   
  
Faramir disappeared in the afternoons more and more often, and would strategically come back after Denethor was asleep and Boromir was too tired to care. Eowyn started getting a bit worried about this, but seeing as she didn't like hanging around him that much, it worked out to her benefit.  
  
But Boromir was not so easily thrown off. 


	4. New Friends

A/N: Sorry guys, it's been a while. I don't have a good excuse, but I'm back now with a bunch of new ideas! First order of business: a huuuuuuuge thanks out to all of my reviewers!!!! You guys rock and it' probably your crazy reviews that keep me writing this thing. I went back and read my first chapter the other day....omg, its really really crappy. I find it really funny that I used to write that horribly. But thank you all for sticking with it anyway! Hopefully this will turn out good. Thanks a bunch!

And now, the moment you've all been waiting for.....a hobbit makes its way onto the screen. ;)

* * *

I was past midnight, and Faramir wasn't home yet. And it was a SCHOOL night. His dad was going to kill him. His dad was going to do worse than kill him, actually. He knew it. His dad was going to take away his Xbox. And probably every other privledge on the face of the earth. But he shouldn't care about that kind thing, right? It's not cool. Who cares whether his dad's going to beat him alive and lock him in his room for all eternity. He's going out tonight. _With the guys_. Just to be cool. All he had to do was be cool.

Right. Like that was going to happen.

"_Stop talking to yourself dumbass,_" he thought to himself. "_You sound so pathetic._" He walked swiftly down the road, turned down another road, and so on until the roads turned into streets and the streets turned into alleys. The only time he had been to this part of town before was once when he got lost on the way back from the movies, but that hadn't really been a good experience and Faramir didn't want to think about it. He just didn't want to get lost. Because he wasn't lost. Nope. Whatever he was, he wasn't lost.

Oh no. He was.

"_Stupid stupid stupid!"_ he thought rather aggressively to himself. _"How could you possible BE this stupid, Faramir?!"_ He continued to verbally abuse himself until, as if on cue, an eerie, male voice came out of the shadows on his right.

"Are you lost, little boy?"

Faramir spun around in lightning motion, slipped on the rain-washed pavement, and fell onto his tailbone.

"Ease-up graceful, it's just me," said the voice again, but this time accompanied by a smirking face --- a face, Faramir noticed, that was way too pale to be allowed. A gangly boy in his late teens had stepped out from the shadows, eyes lined in black and long, dark, greasy hair falling into his face. He was wearing frayed baggy black jeans and a skin-tight long-sleeved black shirt with a small hole in each sleeve perfect for fitting your thumb through. He had a singular silver chain hanging around his neck and he was wearing a huge gray trench-coat that was too big for him so many ways. In one swift motion, the boy whipped out a cigarette from one of the trench-coat's patched pockets, lit it, and brought it to his lips. He took a drag, and then spoke. "You got what I wanted?"

"Frodo!" said Faramir as he stood up shakily. "God, you scared the shit outta...I didn't notice you were there." His back hurt. His back hurt a lot. He wanted to say something incredibly suave and sarcastic and cool but he couldn't because his back HURT. He tried to focus on the boy in front of him.

"Well obviously I _was_, genius. But what matters now is..._do you have it?_" said Frodo more pressingly. He emphasized each word of the last sentence with the waving of his cigarette.

"Yes! I mean, Yeah...Yeah I have it." He reached into the pocket of his jacket and pulled out a small plastic bag. Frodo took it from him quickly and examined the powdery contents.

"Yeah, this'll be good. Looks like you managed not to screw up this time," he said lazily. He put the bag in his inside-pocket. "Did the guy give you any trouble?"

"No," said Faramir. "He just said something about relocating, something about the cops. He said he'd be in touch with you."

"Oooh yes," said Frodo with a creeping smile as he took another long, slow drag of his cigarette. "Don't need to get the cops involved do we?"

"Uhh...nope," said Faramir, unsure. Oh god, he just said "nope". Stupid. Stupid stupid stupid.

Frodo gave him an amused look. "You know, I'll have to say I'm fairly surprised that you're doing this for me. I mean, I've always thought you were a bit of a prick. Never would've guessed you'd turn to the dark side, heh." The faint flicker of a grin crossed his face as he looked up at Faramir.

The only thing in the world Faramir wanted to say at that moment was "I am NOT a prick!" but he restrained himself. "_Think COOL you idiot,_" he mentally yelled at himself. "_You don't want to be on Frodo's bad side._"

"Well, I guess there are a lot of things you don't know about me, then," he finally said, in a voice that was not his own. Wow, that wasn't bad. Frodo walked towards him, his smirk getting even more vivid as he did so. Frodo was much closer now... yes, and even closer. Frodo was definitely invading Faramir's personal bubble now.

"Guess so," said Frodo matter-of-factly as he softly blew a cloud of cigarette smoke directly into Faramir's face. Faramir had barely a split second to wonder wether that really WAS lipstick Frodo was wearing before he started gagging uncontrollably.

"Or, maybe not," Frodo half-said, half-laughed, as he backed away and flicked a strand of hair out of his face. Well, there was no question in Faramir's mind anymore. If he didn't die from embarrassment or second-hand smoking, he would kill himself the SECOND Frodo was gone.

"Listen, I'm heading over to Merry and Pip's place, we got Queen of the Damned rented and Merry got his hands on some vodka. They said you could come...that is, if you're up for it," said Frodo with his ever-present-smirk as he put out his cigarette with the heel of his boot.

"Um," Faramir said, panicking. A movie? Movie's last, like, 2 hours. Its 1am. He can't watch a movie. His dad will kill him. He'll be home by 4 at the earliest and Boromir will know he's been up to something. And he has a history final tomorrow! And he needs sleep because he has a C in history. And what if Eowyn finds out or what if he acts like a complete idiot because he's paranoid and wants to fit in and UNDERAGE DRINKING fuck what if---

"Sure," Faramir hears himself say. "I haven't seen that movie in ages."

"_You haven't seen that movie at all_," his conscious tells him before he mentally stabs it to death.

* * *

"Where've you been this time?" said a nonchalant voice proceeding out from a dark corner of the room.

The lights switched on.

"None of your fucking business, Boromir, go to sleep," snapped Faramir as he shielded his eyes from the light.

"Actually, it is. And I'm not going to sleep, not until you tell me where you've been," said Boromir in his falsely calm tone. Faramir knew this tone well: it meant it would only be a matter of seconds before meltdown, and considering the direction this conversation seemed to be going, maybe a matter of milliseconds. But sadly, Faramir was too drunk to care. He was in a bad mood, he hated the world, he hated his father, and he hated Boromir. But what he really hated was himself --- for being so, freaking. stupid.

"Oh come on Boromir, like you really care," grumbled Faramir as he climbed the rest of the way through the window and staggered towards his bed. "And turn off the light, will you? God, can't you see I'm not up for this right now?"

"Well tough luck, bro," replied Boromir, his temper and volume rising slightly. "'Cause you're going to tell me where you've been, whether you like it or not, or neither of us will get any sleep tonight. I've already been up most the night waiting for you!"

"Well that's not _my_ fault! I never asked you to care!" yelled Faramir, before Boromir hushed him and made a gesture toward their father's bedroom. Faramir added in a hoarse whisper, "Listen man, it's not that big of a deal. Just go to sleep,"

"No I won't. Not until you finally tell me what the hell's wrong with you. You never tell me anything anymore."

"Well maybe there are some things in my life that aren't ANY of your business, hmm? Ever think of that?! What is your problem?" whispered Faramir in a would-be-scream.

There was a pause in which Boromir restrained every fiber of his being from throwing the nearest breakable object directly at Faramir's head. It was a tough feat, but Boromir managed it. Instead, he ended up venting everything that came to his mind.

"Don't you care about anyone other than yourself?! All of a sudden, it's like no one else matters! You never hang out with your old friends anymore, you don't talk to me... And what about Eowyn, you know, you're GIRLFRIEND? She's going through a tough time right now and you don't even care enough to say more than hello! What the hell is _your_ problem?! I don't even think you've exchanged more than two words with Dad in the past month! And all the while I'm making excuses for you and getting you out of trouble, just for you to keep sneaking out and not telling me anything! I'm sick of it! You didn't used to be such a selfish prat, but I guess I don't know you anymore!"

"Well I guess you don't," said Faramir matter-of-factly, trying to end the argument as soon as possible. He flopped himself down on his bed and tried his best to ignore anything Boromir would now say.

In Boromir's point of view, nothing he had just said had come out right. He had rehearsed the conversation during the long hours he waited for Faramir to get home, but as usual, it didn't quite turn out the way he wanted. Well, there was nothing left to do now than ask the obvious. It was useless to beat around the bush, as he had just killed every ounce of subtlety left in the conversation.

"You were out with Frodo and his gang, weren't you?"

Faramir said nothing. Instead, he studied the woven strands of his pillow case.

"I know you were. Eomer said he saw you walking around town with them two nights ago on his way home from work."

Damn. Now he had evidence. Faramir lost focus on the pillow case, but still ignored Boromir with every inch of ignorance left in his selfish prat-like head.

"You haven't been...have you?"

Faramir knew what he meant --- drugs. He gave up his game of just-don't-move-and-maybe-he'll-go-away and truthfully answered "No."

"Why are you hanging out with them then?"

"Maybe because they don't bug me at 4 in the morning with stupid questions about my sanity," he replied sarcastically.

"This isn't funny, Faramir," said Boromir. "I don't want you hanging out with them."

"Well that's too bad for you isn't it."

"I'm warning you Faramir—"

"Oh yeah and what are you going to do? Tell dear old Dad? He doesn't care about me anymore, and I'm not afraid of him either. Besides, you don't even know them," vented Faramir. This was argument was starting to get tedious to him.

"I know what they _do_ and I don't want you hanging out with that crowd." said Boromir, laying down the law. "And Dad does care about you," he added.

"Oh, really? Well he says differently. Anyway, I'm sick of this and I really _do_ want to get to sleep, if you don't MIND, so if you would please get OUT of my room," ordered Faramir.

Boromir saw it was useless to keep going at this, and realized just how tired he was. With one last glare at Faramir, he said "We will talk about this later."

He turned to leave. Faramir followed him to the door, and as soon as he was out, said:

"They're my friends, and I'm going to be friends with whoever I damn well please. There's nothing YOU can do about it."

And then he slammed the door, leaving a very frustrated and confused Boromir standing out in the hallway, wondering what his little brother had turned into. He had to be on _something_, he would never act like this normally....or would he? Boromir didn't seem to know anything about him anymore. Didn't he understand that he was throwing away his future? What was his problem?!

"You just don't get it," whispered Boromir to the closed door as he trudged down the hall towards his room.

On the other side of the door, a very angry Faramir shut off the light and climbed into bed, thinking about the argument. Who was Boromir to say who he could and couldn't hang out with? What gave him that right? He didn't even know Frodo, or any of the others. And how naïve did he have to be to think that Dad actually cared about him?

"You just don't get it," he said to himself, and then rolled over and tried to sleep off the last few hours of the night.

* * *

A/N: No, the hobbits aren't short. Well, they're not tall, but they're not waist height, okay? I just couldn't see that working, lol. Thanks for reading and please review!


	5. Home Escape Plan

"…after the Roman Empire collapsed, Europe was divided into to regions: the East, which came to be known as the Byzantine Empire, and the blah blah blah blah blah blah blah....blahdeblah, can you tell us the importance of this Eowyn?"

It was 2:30, and there was a half hour left of school. Just thirty more minutes, and Eowyn might have escaped World History scratch-free. But no. Of course the world didn't work like that.

Eowyn didn't even hear Mr. Sanville call on her.

"I said can you tell us the importance of this, Ms. Rohan?"

Eowyn looked up from her notebook. It was full of scribbles and lead smears – she hadn't paid attention to a single word all class; she had been trying to distract herself from the falling feeling she felt in the pit of her stomach. As the teacher's repeated question brought her out of her stupor, she started to feel a sense of panic. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Boromir holding up 2 fingers nonchalantly.

"….two?"

"Ms. Rohan, will you please do us the favor of joining the class? The rest of us are trying to learn European history," Mr. Sanville snipped at her. Then, he leaned in closer to whisper in a false discreetness: "One more strike, and I'm going to have to call your parents."

Boromir's mouth gaped open. He couldn't believe those words had actually been spoken. The teacher had meant nothing by it, but Boromir could feel the sting even resounding in his own gut. Those words must have been murder for Eowyn.

The teacher moved on in his boring lecture. Boromir could see that Eowyn had stopped breathing. He half-expected her to burst into tears, but was surprised to see that she remained motionless, staring blankly, fixedly at the white board in front of her. Her hands had clenched into fists, but other than that, no trace of emotion could be found in her face. She was lifeless, as if those words truly had murdered her.

A million years passed in those next 30 minutes, and Boromir couldn't focus on anything else but that blonde-haired, pale-faced girl sitting next to him. There were so many things he'd never really noticed before. The way her hands looked so broken, curled up in rage. The way her chest evenly rose and fell and she forcibly breathed in and out. The way her hair, even when it wasn't fixed nice like usual, still reflected every ray of light that hit it, causing her to look angelic, even when she was going through so much hell…

The bell rang, and they both broke from their trance.

Eowyn bolted from the room. Boromir couldn't let her go like that. He couldn't leave her to retreat to her house and cry for the rest of the afternoon, as he knew she had many times before. Some cautious part of his brain warned him that he shouldn't get involved, that he shouldn't risk being alienated by her… That he shouldn't risk getting too close to her…

"Eowyn!" he yelled. He scrambled to get his stuff, and pushed through the crowd exiting the classroom. "Eowyn, please, wait!"

He could see the top of her head down the hall, see her adjust her pace quicker even as he called out her name. Had she noticed him staring at her in class? Was she ignoring him on purpose? Now he was determined. He ran full speed down the hall, rashly deciding that helping her was more important than giving her space. He rounded the corner in a blur --

And there she was, with the last person on earth he wanted to see.

"Baby, are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Faramir. How are you?"

His arm curled around her waist, and she was smiling at him – as if the past hour had never happened. Boromir seemed to run into an invisible wall. Speechless, he tried to regain his composure.

Faramir caught sight of Boromir, and his voice hardened.

"I'm having a WONDERFUL day," he said smoothly. "I don't want to seem overly _selfis_h, but honestly, I couldn't be happier." He flashed a huge, sardonic grin directly at Boromir and forcibly kissed Eowyn in the middle of the hall. Faramir was impressed with his own smoothness. He was definitely getting better at not being a "prick".

Boromir felt as if he had been slapped in the face. He shouldn't have, but he couldn't help it. And strangely, his temper began to rise. Faramir shouldn't use her like that, just to prove a point to him. Eowyn can't be seriously going along with this. She can't seriously be happy with all of his bullshit.

Indeed, Eowyn did look a bit surprised, perhaps even uncomfortable, with Faramir's random public affection. She didn't pull back however. Boromir realized she must be unaware of his presence feet behind her. She was generally a private sort of person – she was uncomfortable with PDA, and she would have been even more embarrassed to know Boromir was watching.

"Well, that was, nice," she managed to say as they broke apart. She seemed to like the fact that he was giving her attention. Then, with more animation than either Boromir or Faramir had seen her show in weeks, she asked, "Can we do something fun tonight? I want to get out of the house!"

"Uhh..I'm not sure about TONIGHT, really.." Faramir mumbled as he guided Eowyn away from his overbearing older brother.

"Why not?"

"I have work this afternoon. You know, my new job down at the port…" Faramir said these last few words barely above a whisper.

"Oh, I..I forgot I guess. Well good for you. I guess I'll…."

"Why don't you call Arwen and have a girls night, huh?"

"Yeah…that could be fun."

Boromir was still following them, trying to look casual, hoping to hear the end of Faramir's cover-up story. He heard the sarcasm in Eowyn's voice, but he doubted Faramir did. Faramir seemed preoccupied with something outside the glass front door of the school.

"Actually I have to go, now….I'll see you later, hun," he said abruptly. With a frustrated look over his shoulder at the stalking Boromir, and with hardly another glance at her, he rushed out the front doors and over to a group of dark-haired boys gathered in front of the school.

Boromir looked at Eowyn from behind, who seemed to have returned to her emotionless state -- He could tell by the way her shoulders went rigid as soon as Faramir was out of sight. This was his opportunity.

"A..."

She recognized his childhood nickname for her, and spun around in shock.

"Geez Boromir….way to sneak up on a girl."

"I'm sorry. I, um." He pondered his words for a moment. "I was trying to catch you after History. I'm…sorry I wasn't much help."

"Yeah really," she said, easing up a bit. "What the heck was 'two' supposed to be?"

He chuckled uneasily. "A peace sign. The answer was that it brought peace to the empire. I…I tried."

"Right. Well. Thanks…for trying I guess." And as she said it, she realized she really was grateful. She saw the sincerity face, and let her shoulders relax. She didn't mean to be so cold to him. She just didn't want to pretend to be okay…and simultaneously, she didn't want him to see how deeply she hurt. He was the only person who treated her like she was normal. She knew that she had let her mask slip in class, and that he saw it. She didn't have the strength to deal with that right now.

"I have to go."

"No, wait!"

"Boromir -- "

"A, please. Are you…are you…"

He closed the space between them, and as he did, he could see her freeze up in front of him; he could see her adjusting her expression, preparing to say those empty, lifeless words: I'm fine.

"Are you feeling up to going into the city tonight?"

She wasn't expecting that – she instantly smiled, for real.

"Really? What's going on?"

Boromir was forming a plan as fast as he possibly could. He started by saying a name he knew she couldn't resist.

"Legolas…and I…we were going to go check out that over-18 club on Meridian Street. I imagine he'll be, well, busy with girls and whatnot. I'd love some sane company."

Eowyn liked being called 'sane'. It made her feel normal again.

"I would LOVE to go! I was just saying that I need to get out of the house. Its….well it's just getting…boring." And depressing, but that went without saying.

"Alright. On one condition though."

"What?" Eowyn asked, puzzled.

"You have to let your hair down. You can't let that bum brother of mine be the only one to see you dressed up these days." Was this crossing the line? He couldn't tell. Fingers crossed.

"Oh…well, I guess so," she said, embarrassed a little, but flattered.

"Sweet. I'll pick you up at 7?"

"You mean, 'we'll pick you up at 7'?"

"Of course."

"…Okay. Till then," Eowyn said with a smile.

They parted, each walking separate directions to get to their cars. Now, all Boromir needed to do was tell Legolas of their plans. Tonight, they were on a rescue mission. Operation Cheer Up A.


	6. Beyond Reproach

The music was loud and the energy was pulsing through every being in the room. Legolas, all to happy to join in Boromir's plan, was in the center of the dance floor, his blonde hair whipping around with the music. Every girl had his eye on him, including Eowyn, who was loving every moment, every beat, every second. She was free, and the music freed her. It was so loud; she couldn't remember the rest of her life. She couldn't remember to be reserved, to be cautious, to be careful. She just let her body move and let her eyes flirt with every boy and girl in the room. Between her and Legolas, they had the attention of everyone in the club. Legolas, as usual, loved being the center of attention, but especially of Eowyn's. It had been too long since he'd seen his best friend smile. It had been too long since they'd been able to let loose like this and simply enjoy each other.

Eventually the heat of all of the moving bodies around him made Legolas very thirsty, so he yelled to Eowyn over the pulsing music:

"I'm GOING to GET some WATER."

"WHAT?"

He mimed taking a drink of something, and she smiled and nodded in comprehension.

"GO AHEAD. I'M HAVING FUN."

Legolas smiled. "Good."

He made his way to the back of the room and up the stairs to a balcony where the restaurant portion of the club was located. There, at a table overlooking the dance floor, he found Boromir.

"Hey man, you gotta get out there. Why are you still up here?" Legolas asked, as he slid into a chair opposite Boromir and started drinking his Pepsi. "I thought I was gonna have to rescue Eowyn, not you."

"I'm happy up here," Boromir said, amused at Legolas' soda theft. "I'm not really the bump-and-grind type, if you can't tell."

"Really?" Legolas was making a funny, suggestive face at Boromir. "Hmm."

"What?"

"Nothing, nothing. You just seem… different tonight."

"Different like what?"

Legolas paused to evaluate. "You just seem a lot less stressed-out I guess. If I didn't know you any better, I would think you're having a good time." This last line was delivered with Legolas' trademark smirk.

Boromir didn't know how to respond. He was having a good time, he guessed. It just felt good to know that A was having a good time, for once. Plus, something about being in Legolas' company made breathing seem easier. He was so carefree; Boromir often liked to watch him on the dance floor and envy the ease with which he made friends and had fun. Boromir often wished he could be like that, but not too seriously. He was, after all, older, and a little less immature when it came to girls. Aha, perfect subject change.

"So, no girlfriends yet, huh? That brunette was making eyes at you when we came in," Boromir jabbed at Legolas, grinning. This joke was possibly completely overdone, but it always seemed to ring true. Legolas was a manwhore, in the silliest sense of the word.

"Oh, well, ya know. I have to pace myself," Legolas replied with a wink. But his voice didn't hold the same suave cadence it usually had when defending himself. His eyes were distracted, staring down at the sparkling blonde in the center of the dance floor. "Man, I haven't seen her like this in months."

Boromir hardly heard Legolas' words; he himself was distracted by Eowyn, happily surprised at her sudden looseness. They both sat in silence for a while, wondering to themselves the same things.

"You think…" Legolas began.

Boromir looked up, already knowing what Legolas was going to say. But he let him say it.

"You think Faramir's going to be mad about this?"

Boromir considered.

"Yes."

"That's so dumb! Why isn't she allowed to have some fun every now and then? Its not like he's taking her out anymore," Legolas' voice rang with an ancient grudge. Boromir had heard Legolas rant about this before; he had heard Arwen rant about this before; he had even heard Aragorn rant about this before. They all knew she was being treated like crap, and none of them could do anything about it, except complain to one another. She loved him, and they couldn't change that.

"Faramir doesn't mind her going 'out', really," Boromir replied, trying to defend his brother out of reflex. "Its… well, its you he'll probably be most mad about."

"Me? Oh jesus, you're not serious? After all this time?"

"Can you blame him? I mean, honestly, I don't understand why you don't like her. You like everyone else. You love women in general."

"Yeah…" Legolas smirked, but in a more bitter way than usual. "A's different though. I mean, we've known each other forever."

"Isn't that worse though?"

"Agh!" Legolas yelled in frustration. "People just don't get it! Just, geez, believe me, I'm not in love with her. Can't I be happy that she's happy and not be in love with her?"

"Whoa.. Okay, sorry. I was just trying to help you see it from Faramir's point of view."

Another silence between them – though it could hardly be called silence, with the raging techno music all around them. Legolas shifted in his seat, and then looked up at Boromir confused.

"Wait, so, if you knew Faramir would be mad, why did you even invite me to come?"

Boromir hesitated. He had seen this question coming from a mile off. He looked at Legolas curiously, and eventually decided he would risk having this conversation.

"Because I didn't know if she'd come if it was just me."

Legolas was deeply amused at Boromir's embarrassment.

"Ha! Like hell she wouldn't have come. I think she's just been waiting for someone to steal her away like this."

Boromir gave Legolas a significant look.

"I'm not stealing her away."

"No, I mean, like getting her away from all of the shit that's been going on."

Boromir considered. "Maybe."

It took a few moments to convince himself, but he decided to share his thoughts. Legolas would hear him out.

"…It wasn't just that. I mean… I was afraid to take her out, just the two of us."

"Why?"

"Because she's my brother's girlfriend, that's why!"

Legolas suddenly understood what Boromir was trying to say. His eyes got wide and he couldn't stop a laugh from escaping his lips.

"What, like you could be…? Yeah right!" Legolas was cracking up now. "Boromir, I'm sorry to tell you this, but you are not badass enough to cheat with your brother's girlfriend. You are not even badass enough for people to accuse you of cheating with your brother's girlfriend. You are about as risky as letting her go out with another girl."

"Gee, thanks."

"You know what I mean!" Legolas was smiling. "You're a good guy, Boromir. We all know that. You're beyond reproach."

What was somebody supposed to reply to that? Boromir couldn't help but be frustrated. He should have felt good about his spotless reputation, but for some reason it just made him sick to his stomach.

Legolas was eyeing Boromir, seeing his face turn sour as he stared out yet again to the dance floor. There was a time for jokes, and a time for seriousness -- Legolas generally couldn't tell the difference between the two. Just smile and laugh it off – that was his philosophy. But as he looked intently at his friend, he could tell that Boromir wasn't up for a laugh. He had to say, he wasn't expecting to have this conversation tonight. For a while, he had had suspicions, but he hoped they were wrong. He had prayed they were wrong.

All easiness gone from his voice, he leaned across the table to Boromir.

"You gotta snap out of it, dude," he said, his eyes serious. "I don't know what you've got into your head, but as much as I like seeing you happy tonight, you need to find someone else to stare at."

Boromir turned to look at him, his temper rising.

"What, so you can stare at her instead?...And I'm not staring at her!"

"Boromir…" Legolas' voice got an edge to it. "I don't want to fight with you about this. I just don't think its smart to look down that road. You know that I have interests elsewhere -- It's time you did too."

Boromir's inward anger forced him to break eye contact. He was defeated. He silently pondered all of Legolas' words. Was he really looking down that road? No. He wasn't falling for Eowyn. He was just concerned. He was just scared for her, is all. If Legolas could care for her and not fall for her, than Boromir certainly could.

"I'm gonna go back out," Legolas finally said.

"Already?" said a female voice from behind him. The conversation must've lasted longer than it seemed; Eowyn was walking over with an energy drink in her hand and a smile on her face.

"A! Well, speak of the devil," said Legolas with a falsely sincere smile.

"You were talking about me?"

"Well, Boromir was anyway. What was that you were just saying? I could hardly hear you over the music."

Boromir looked aghast. Whatever kind of argument they may have been having, it hardly warranted this. Legolas was an asshole.

"Nothing important. Just that…er.. you look great tonight, A," Boromir stammered. Legolas was not happy with his response, but Eowyn looked pleased.

"Right so, I'll just let you take my place then," said Legolas quickly. "Don't want to let that brunette leave without knowing my name," he added with a wink at Eowyn, who gave him a raised eyebrow. He looked at Boromir warily. Please don't do anything stupid, his eyes clearly said.

After Legolas left, Eowyn collapsed into his seat.

"Its so loud out there! And its crazy! This is so much fun, thanks for inviting me to go with you guys," she said brightly, as she pulled her hair up into a messy bun. Mid-action, however, she froze.

"I am allowed to get my sweaty hair off my neck, right?"

Boromir grinned. "I suppose I'll let this on slip."

"Good, because it is SO hot in here." She took a long chug of her Rockstar. "So, how are you Boromir? Geez, I feel like we haven't really talked in ages. What's new?"

_She is so energetic tonight_. Boromir thought. _It's like havin the old A back. Thank God for caffeine._

"I'm..good, I guess," Boromir answered. "School's alright, kinda crazy with graduation coming up and everything."

"Yeah I don't envy you," Eowyn sighed. "Being a senior must be fun though."

"Its got its ups and downs," Boromir answered truthfully. "But I guess that's just how it go –"

"Hey, wait….do you still have that crazy crush on Arwen?" Eowyn grinned evilly.

Whoa. Boromir wasn't expecting that. Eowyn was always the kind to jump to the chase though.

"Ah…so that's what you really want to talk about," Boromir hedged, a grin spreading on his face. "That was a while back, A."

"Yeah but, the last time we actually talked, you were really crushin on her."

"Wow, has it really been that long?"

"4 months is a long time ago? Wow, how many girls have there been since, Mr. Gondor?"

Boromir laughed at how much Eowyn was enjoying her interrogation. When his laughter died though, he couldn't find words to say. Her dress really matched her blue eyes.

"So no Arwen then, I'm guessing?" Eowyn continued.

"No Arwen. That was a bad idea…I mean, Aragorn is my best friend and all. I wouldn't be surprised if they're the first to get married after graduation."

"Ha, me neither. They are kind-of disgustingly in love, at times. So, any new girls?"

Geez. Give me some air to breathe. This is not a good choice of conversation.

"Well, I…" he couldn't find the guts to finish the sentence. He didn't want to lie, but he didn't want the truth to be true. He didn't want to admit to himself that he always fell for girls who were taken.

"..Boys?" she pressed on, with her eyebrows raised.

"No! No no no no no," he answered frantically. "No."

"Right so, I'll take that as a no then," she said teasingly.

Boromir looked up at her through his messy bangs. She was gorgeous. Not only that, but she was happy. He had made her happy, by bringing her here. Maybe there was a way to do this right. Maybe he could enjoy her company, and not cross the line. Maybe he could fall in love with his brother's girlfriend, and never tell a soul.

That was a stupid thought, but her eyes were gleaming, and her perfume was radiating through the air, and she was looking at him like he was her hero. He couldn't pass up the chance, the hope, the faint possibility that he could be happy tonight, with her.

_He's doing it again_, she thought to herself. _He's waiting for me to break. He waiting for the moment that I remember my life and burst into tears. _

"Boromir….I'm okay," she said softly, misinterpreting his silence. "I really am. I know I'm messed up, but I'm getting better--"

"Don't talk about it," he said urgently, looking down at the table. "I can tell you're feeling better tonight. You don't have to…" He allowed his eyes to meet hers. "You never have to try and prove yourself to me."

Eowyn smiled, slightly embarrassed by his sudden emotion. "I know, and you have no idea how grateful I am for that." She reached out to squeeze his hand across the table.

The second her skin brushed his, he frantically stood up and backed away, knocking his chair to the floor. People around looked over at them.

"What're you doing?" he yelled at her, eyes wide.

"Doing? I'm not doing anything," she said, completely caught off-guard by his moment of freak-out. "I was just saying thanks!"

Boromir was in fight-or-flight mode. He didn't want to explain himself to her, for fear of what he would say. Instead, he bolted. _Stupid stupid stupid, Boromir. What were you thinking? She's Faramir's girlfriend! She's not yours to take out! She's not yours to think about! _…But even as he said these words to himself, he couldn't help but think about the electric shock that went through him when her soft, warm skin touched the tips of his fingers…

Eowyn sat mortified in the middle of the restaurant. Legolas had seen the action from across the room and came over.

"What happened?" he asked, terrified.

"I…I have no idea," she replied honestly. "I just touched him."

"…Shit."

"What, what's wrong? Did I do something wrong?"

"Its nothing, Boromir's just…..gah,this is worse than I thought. I'm sorry, I need to go track him down."

"No, not until you tell me what the heck that was about," she said, blocking him from leaving.

"You don't want to know, A," he snapped.

Eowyn looked him up and down, and then looked around to make sure no one was listening. "Is this about you two?" she asked under her breath.

"What?" Legolas' stomach felt like it fell through the floor. "A, don't even -- don't you even talk – your not allowed to just ask me about –" Unknowingly, she had hit him right at his breaking point. Legolas felt like he had run out of breath. "It's not like that. He's…"

He was loosing his resolve. In that second, it had hit him full on for the first time. Full of a despair, he fixed Eowyn with a hard look.

"He's obviously in love with someone else."


End file.
